You Where Always There
by Aria Snow
Summary: Vongola Undecimo, Takayoshi Sawada recalls after the Flame Inheritance of a certain blonde ancestor. That even as a very small child his great-great-great-great grandfather had watched over him. Even when he was alone...


Aria: Hola~! *fox ears twitch* I've got a real treat for you today.

Tsuna: Yeah, today is a one-shot of "I Will Not Fade", featuring my son, Takayoshi and Giotto.

Aria: Yes, this should be a good one. So lets get going and read with our resolve!

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><p><strong>You Were Always There<strong>

~.~.~.~

It was a quiet night in Sicily, Italy. The air was not cold but neither was it warm. But it's night sky held a brilliance to it with its waxing moon and sea of twinkling stars that guarded it and lit it bright with a single message: you can always find your way home. On the roof top of the Vongola's mansion sat a single teenaged Italian/Japanese boy with messy chocolate brown hair and sky-kissed eyes. He wore a pair of black PJs and his cheek bore a single scar. But his hands and ankle were bandaged up from the conflict yesterday during the Flame Inheritance.

Yet, a look of serenity graced his face instinct ignited Takayoshi's Hyper Will. The little Sky Tiger cub beside him laid curled up asleep on his lap, purring away. Taka 's hyper intuition then rang with a warm _ping_, the kind saved only to alert him of an ally being close by. Soon he felt a blanket placed over his shoulders by small, delicate hands. He looked over curiously and saw it was his lil' cousin, Hikari coming to sit beside him. A smile crept up his face in a quiet greeting, the burnette ten year old doing the same.

"Why are you up here all along Taka-chan?"asked Hikari.

"Couldn't sleep. I still feel Gramps and grandma's flames inside me…i-it's strange. Gramps told me things I never thought I'd hear and I'm both scared and astonished."sighed Takayoshi as he cracked open Giotto's pocket watch.

"You're scared? Could be you witnessed what you are capable of in Sieka Will?"Takayoshi nodded. "Don't be…I-I was scared too of what I could do with my Sky Sphere."

"Arigato…"

"For what?"

"Saving my life back there after I got stung by Verde's Lightning Bees. Yukihana-san gave you one of my epi-pens, didn't she?"Hikari smiled and nodded.

The two remained silent for a moment, Takayoshi's eye locked onto the tiny sky flame within the watch. The distinct ticking of the antique wasn't hard at all to miss. "Hikari-chan?"

"Yes?"asked Hikari curiously.

"This wasn't the first time I met Giotto-san. I met him when I was very little, before you were even born."said Takayoshi with a smile.

"Will you tell me the story, please Taka-chan?"asked Hikari in eager delight.

Takayoshi nodded and closed the watch. "It all started back when I was only four years old…."

~.~.~.~

"Lady Vongola, we'll be arriving at the airport very soon here."

Kieko smiled, "Thank you Kenny."

Kieko then looked over when her son came racing in chasing her own Box Animal Partner, Fluffy the Sun Rabbit. The rabbit box animal didn't mind at all playing chase with his master's four year old kitten. It was the job of the warren to protect and amuse the young while the mother was busy. Said child was a chocolate brown messy haired boy with innocent skyblue eyes. He wore a simple hoody and khaki pants and lil' white runners that lit up when he stepped.

"Bunny get back here!"laughed the little boy.

Kieko then scooped up her song with a giggle, her son giving a surprised squeak. "I gotcha my little tiger."

"You caught me Mama!"giggled Takayoshi, hugging his mother.

"The nice man that works for your father says we'll be at his work any time now."smiled Kieko.

"Does that mean I get to see daddy and Natsu again?"asked the four year old eagerly.

"Yes, it does. But he doesn't know we're coming so, shh."smiled Kieko, making the quiet signal.

Takayoshi giggled, "So we're surprising daddy?"

"Yep, we're surprising your daddy."said Kieko as the jet touched down at the airport.

Quickly, Kieko returned Fluffy to his box and scooped up her son and got off the plane. The guards were fast to usher them safely into the bullet proof van and be on their way. It didn't take long at all to leave the city behind and reach the small town and from there into Vongola Forest to the mansion. Once there the doors were opened to allow the parent 'n child duo out of the van. Kieko knew one thing, their travel in the now nonexistant future had made her husband, Tsunayoshi cautious. There wasn't a day anymore where the X Generation Sky Guardian hadn't done something to take a precaution against every possible worst case scenarios out there.

One being the existence of their only child; only the Gesso, Shimon, Dino, holders of the pacifiers, and Vongola's Guardians and medical squad knew. In order to prevent the leakage of information to enemy hands. Reborn had remarked it was a wise idea, it'd keep Takayoshi safe until his flames ignited.

"Hn? Kieko what are you doing here?"noticed Chrome.

"Chrome-chan!"squealed Kieko in delight, racing over to where Chrome was tending to a flower bed. "How have you been?

"Good, and look at you Takayoshi-kun, you've gotten so big!"smiled the Mist Guardian.

"Yes I am nee-chan!"beamed Taka. "Is daddy here?"

"Yes, your father's here. But he's busy talking to a very important man right now. But your grandpa's here."this instantly excited the little burnette.

"Mama, can I go find grandpa?"asked Taka eagerly.

"Um, alright but only if her owl goes with you ok?"said Kieko.

"Ok! Nee-chan, can Muru go with me?"Chrome nodded and let the Mist Snowy Owl out.

The owl trilled in delight at seeing Takayoshi, playfully pulling the hood of his hooty over his head. Causing the boy to laugh in delight. "Hey, no fair Maru-chan!"

"Hoot~!"giggled the Mist Owl.

Eagerly Takayoshi raced off with the owl following close behind, Kieko and Chrome smiling as he vanished out of sight. Taka though was eager to see his grandfather again, but the fact his attention span was short lived he began to explore, playing with Chrome's combat partner. But that play soon stopped when he noticed just where he was. The Vongola's Graveyard. Now he was scared out of his mind. He wanted his mother and father.

"M-Maru-chan…I-I'm scared."sobbed Takayoshi.

"Hoot…whoo."replied Maruko, coming to land beside the boy, hopping over to where he curled up into a ball by the Sky Guardians' resting place.

Soon Taka felt a cold, yet, warm touch on his head. "Why are you so scared, child?" came the voice of a young man. Takayoshi looked up with teary, surprised eyes at what he saw. It was a man that looked just like his father, but his hair was blonde and his eyes as blue as the cerulean sky at summer's peak. He wore a simple suit, metal plated gloves, and a black cape. His smile was gentle and serene, like a parent to a distressed child. Body he was translucent…a ghost. Yet, Taka wasn't scared as the man stroked his face and the tears from his eyes.

"W-who are you? Where my Mama and Papa?"whimpered the four year old.

"My name's Giotto, I'm one of your grandfathers."smiled Giotto.

"Y-you're my grandpa?"Giotto nodded. Giotto then ruffled his young descendant's hair, causing him to giggle. Forgetting for now that he was lost.

"Tell me, what do you treasure most, little one?"asked Giotto, taking him into his arms.

"T-trweasure?"

"Yes, what do you love most?"asked Giotto.

"My Mama, my Papa, my friends, grandpa, grandma, and—"

"Wow, you sure have a lot to cherish Takayoshi-kun."Taka beamed.

"Stuff you love you need to take care of and protect. Do you understand?"asked Giotto kindly.

"S-sort of."answered Taka.

"You may not understand now, but you will some day."soothed the blonde, seeing Takayoshi was still upset.

How the heck was he going to calm him down? He hadn't delt with a child in centuries, not since Yoshimune was born. But one thing he knew, even as a spirit his youngest of his two sons never parted with the gold, ruby embed rectangle locket musicbox that held his lullaby. Yoshimune knew that song by heart. Was there a chance Tsunayoshi had it sung to him by his father and in turn Tsuna had sung it to this young boy. Only one way to find out.

"_Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes_

_And save these questions for another day_

_I think I know what you've been asking me_

_I think you know what I've been trying to say_

_I promised I would never leave you_

_Then you should always know_

_Wherever you may go, no matter where you are_

_I never will be far away,"_

Right away Giotto noticed a change in the small child. Takayoshi had stopped his tears and looked at him with curious eyes of knowing. So, he had been right. Yoshimune had passed down the song to his own child and so forth…

"_Goodnight my angel, now it's time to sleep_

_And still so many things I want to say_

_Remember all the songs you sang for me_

_When we went sailing on an emerald bay_

_And like a boat out on the ocean_

_I'm rocking you to sleep_

_The water's dark and deep, inside this ancient heart_

_You'll always be a part of me_

_Goodnight my angel, now it's time to dream_

_And dream how wonderful your life will be_

_Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby_

_Then in your heart there will always be a part of me_

_Someday we'll all be gone_

_But lullabies go on and on_

_They never die_

_That's how you and I will be…"_

Takayoshi by now was half asleep, the mist owl ruffling his feathers. Giotto smiled fondly as he ran his gloved hand through his messy brown locks. Takayoshi looked so much like Yoshimune, it tugged at his own parental instincts severely. But this moment was short lived for he heard the sound of footsteps. Sure enough he saw the current head of CEDEF come into the graveyard along with Kyoya and Sarah.

"There you are, lil' prince. We gotcha now."soothed Sarah as her commander scooped up one tuckered out four year old.

Iemitsu smiled in amusement at the sight of his sleepy grandson. But what quickly caught his eye was a ghostly figure of a blonde haired man. But no sooner did he blink…the stranger was gone. But Takayoshi simply smiled as he glance over his shoulder innocently. "Bye-bye Giotto-jiji."whispered the young boy…..

~.~.~.~

"…And that's pretty much what happened. I fell asleep in my grandpa's arms and woke up to one frantic pair of parents."

Hikari looked bewildered.

So, Giotto had watched over her cousin even when he was but a tiny child. It never had been only recently. Vongola Primo had watched over and protected him in ways not many could ever imagine. She then noticed Taka pull out a small rectangle gold locket with rubies embedded into them. He snapped it open and out came a soft lullaby. It was welcoming, comforting even.

"Did that come from the Vongola's Sky Vault?"asked Hikari.

"Yes, Dad gave it to me after the Flame Inheritance. He said it was an old family heirloom, that Giotto gave it to Yoshimune and then Yoshi to his child and so forth."smiled Taka fondly, lying back and closing his eyes to listen to the lullaby.

"I'm guessing this is the lullaby Giotto used to calm you down, huh?"

"Yes…and even now I know he's always been there for me."

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><p>Aria: And that's that. The song in this is a personal favorite of mine called "Goodnight My Angel"-Billy Joel.<p> 


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